Post by Mogrid on May 24, 2018 2:47:05 GMT -5

The rumors had been building for weeks. Mogrid hadn't believed them at first, relatively safe in his workshop in Bhujerba. After all, magickal wrenches that were bound to his soul and came when he called them were one thing: The world was full of surprises and he'd seen adventurers pull stranger things out of the aether; however the blade, which he'd nicknamed the Mognificent Machinist because certain traditions must be observed, still obeyed the laws of...well magick if not physics. He wasn't quite sure what it was made of since it clove through his anvil like it was made of butter one minute, then bounced off the silk screen walls of the baths the next, but it still had heft and weight and balance, at least when other people tried to pick it up and swing it around,

But here he was, three weeks of hard journey from his workshop with nothing but his wits and his keyblade for protection, and the supplies from his workshop slung across his back in a pack that wasn't quite as heavy as it had been when he started. A week's journey through jagd, only to see it up there. An airship. Flying through jagd like it kupo well belonged there. Sure it was shrouded in Mist, though oddly he could only tell because there was a giant hole in the cloying fog around the Pharos where Mist should be but wasn't, but what did that matter? Apparently nothing at all to this ship. Finding the mooring line had been impossible, but thankfully whoever had moored it had done so right next to the lighthouse, so it was a short jump for the moogle to land atop the invisible balloon keeping the massive thing aloft. At least he was assuming it was a balloon, because it couldn't be skystones.

Once he was on the hull, the ship's dark, almost daemonic form had revealed itself to him, apparently only hidden from a distance of at least twice his height so as to deter birds, perhaps? With the ship visible though it was a relatively easy climb down to locate the hatch. Which wasn't where he was expecting. In fact, it took him four hours to find something he could squeeze through, and he was fairly sure it was a viewing port for whoever operated this unwieldy behemoth of a boat.

It certainly wasn't an Archaeden design though. It felt too...organic and malevolent. The Empire was all rigid lines and orderly divisions, but this ship looked like nothing inside so much as the innards of a large beasty. A large beasty that could fly through jagd and had an engine. An engine which Mogrid was struggling to locate, with the organic and malevolent design of the ship acting like an organic and malevolent maze of turnbacks and looping corridors that started aft and went starbard and down and ended up near the fore keel if he was any judge. Not that he could keep his bearings in this thing.

Post by Zidane Tribal on Jun 13, 2018 10:17:42 GMT -5

Bhujera was always a lively city. It wasn’t the first time Zidane was here, but this time there didn’t seem to be a worker’s revolution. Months back a fellow tried to sweep in beneath the Empire’s nose and take over the neutral country with promises of prosperity, but the workers were far from peaceable about their mines being used as a hideout for Heartless. It was quiet now, that minor hiccup was quickly quelled. Zidane had lent a hand in the riot, but leave it to the thief to profit from it. Any parts and weapons that lot had left behind in their retreat allowed him to make some gil through his help salvaging. It let him get pretty friendly with a few locals and what gil he did earn he had sent to Lowtown to help out Dieter Wolfram‘s group. He had made a few friends so it had become like a second home, Ivalice.

Maybe because here he did not stand out as he did in other worlds. Home was far from here, but he couldn’t leave. Invincible was damaged and he couldn’t figure out why, or how so he had stayed to try and salvage parts from the Heartless wreckage in hopes of finding something to help Invincible. The ship was special and it seemed beyond even the most intuitive Bhujerban. Once the salvage was clear and nothing could be found -- Zidane was losing hope and had become afraid that maybe his time away from home was starting to effect the ship.

While Invincible could still fly, it couldn’t take to space and that was the problem. Though it a rather significant power output it had dropped so much that the usual, soft hum of energy that, to the rogue sounded like a beating heart, was weak and worrying. He had asked his new friends if there was anyone who could understand, what to Bhujerban’s ancient technology, if there was anything that could repair it. They tell Zidane of other ancient ruins from which ancient resources still lat hidden and that he could perhaps find something to help his ship. But the issue lay in actually finding them.

Much of the surface relic have been taken by treasure hunters, or salvaged. What remained was deep in the dangerous catacombs that often lay deep in the jagds. A breeding ground for monstrous abominations fed by corrupting magicite energies or the limited resources of such deep troves. There was no question as to what he had to do, so he made his way to what was seen as the edge of their world. One of the man Jagds that traced the edges of their empire Zidane would arrive. Settling the ship on the edge of the mountain, nestled in the mist where he would hope it could feel at home: the rouge went spelunking . He hoped he could find something of use. In the meantime Invincible would remain hidden.

Or so he thought.

A word often used for Invincible’s design was “monstrous”. While sleek and organic in its nature within it was a rather ominous feeling as if eyes were always on the Moogle. It almost seemed to breathe as its near silent hum of power beat, like a weakened heart. It seemed just that: weak. As impressive as its exterior was and unique as its interior : on a whole it was hardly intimidating, as if it was asleep. As such these words are used to describe a person but everything about this ship seemed to give it a sense of life. The lights were dim.

Its interior walls softly pulsing with every “breathe”. Hues of blue, purple and red rushed through its root-like, twisting infrastructure like veins. It was not a moment after Mogrid would reach a point i the ship that was considered its center that an wind rumbled through its form. Rousing to the foreign body the ship called for help, lowering its platform which led to its navigation room. Inside a window of sorts had in view the whole jagd, or at least its mist. The whole room was dim, lifeless with the same pulsing lights as it was below.

There was no steering to speak of, but instead there was another platform where a standing brace was and were Mogrid to stand on it -- it would turn red in refusal, presenting a holographic screen with foreign letters on it.

It was at this time that Zidane returned with a sack hoist over his shoulder. He looked up to see that the ship had already opened. Was it anticipating his return? Climbing aboard the very platform that would have allowed Mogrid to enter the navigation room, lowered. If the Mog had not entered well he would find himself face to face much sooner with the rogue as he was intending to head up to the main computer in navigation.

Post by Mogrid on Jul 27, 2018 11:10:22 GMT -5

Mogrid was no stranger to thinking of machines as living entities, though in this case it felt more literal than usual. Honestly, the moogle was having trouble NOT thinking of this ship as being alive. It felt like it was...well, not quite breathing but almost wheezing. The thrum of energy was weak, as if the engine were skipping beats. He felt watched in the way a wounded monster watched every approaching animal and hume. Only there was no way he was staying away from this ship, any more than a hunter avoided wounded prey when he needed to feed his family. Or whatever it was hunters actually hunted for, he wasn't sure.

What he was sure about was that this ship being alive wasn't just metaphor and once he'd been denied access to what he had assumed was some kind of helm, it felt like the ship wasn't just sick, it was resentful. The moogle shook his head at that thought and wandered over toward a door leading further aft. It was locked, but he'd found out pretty early on that that wasn't much of a hindrance to him anymore. He called his weapon and tapped the door a couple of times, which rewarded him by opening up with a satisfying hiss to reveal what he'd been looking for, an engine compartment.

Mogrid grinned and sat his pack by the door as he crossed the threshold to take stock of the engine. Or as much as he could do. It was clear this wasn't made anywhere in Ivalice almost immediately. He wasn't sure what this thing ran on, but he didn't see a single onze of skystone anywhere, and it was running far too quietly. His large lapine ears were definitely able to pick up on something...off about the mechanism though. He wandered into the engine room, following an odd sequence of sounds coming from...somewhere...

It wouldn't be difficult for the rogue owner of the airship to locate the intruder, most likely. After all, he was standing stock still in the middle of an engine room with his eyes closed, between the original engine and the modifications that allowed it to traverse the stars, with his backpack propping the door open.

Post by Zidane Tribal on Aug 9, 2018 12:01:40 GMT -5

Invincible was born of corruption. While created to carry the future of his extinct people across the cosmos that journey had come to an end, starting anew with the Genomes and Black Mages. Because of the way the ship was designed it was, in a sense, related to Zidane's genetic kin. As if born as an allegory the ship was family. It had never been just a machine to Zidane, but he never asserted his thoughts aloud. It was never necessary. After Dagger's experience with the ship it had been enough she rode it. The their couldn't ask her to entertain his romantic thoughts on the weapon of war.

Inside the contraption that served as Invincible's heart was quite small, at least compared to its magnificent size. Metal fused to glass and wire created an image not unlike the womb of a mother. The semi translucent glass was filled with a blue liquid that bubbled much like a spring, but it was only part of the way filled. Its metal components were smooth and curled about like the cumulous forms of a cloud. The engine was heavy, but not so much in its build as was its presence.

Haunting.

As Mogrid inspected the engine a mist began to filter in, rolling along the floor toward the engineer. It would try and reach for the Moogle. A cold air -- like fingers down the back of one's neck.

Zidane took note of the red light coming from the helm. As he drew closer the sack he was carrying was discarded casually. He stepped up on the platform, the light returning to a soft blue. Reaching up the rogue dragged the screen closer and read the warning.

Sighing Zidane closed it and tried to access the other systems. ”I know big guy, but I’m not Kuja…” There were times where he felt inadequate about his being a Genome. Even Mikoto would know how to fix this problem.

As Zidane moved around the view screens he took notice of something across the way. Blinking he lowered the systems operations. It showed a full view of Invincible's internal workings, in particular: his engine. It was red with critical alters along certain stress points including the tank of fluid. Much of it the rogue didn't understand because he was no mechanic. All he knew is that the parts, maybe, needed to be replaced. He stepped off the platform and made his way over to what was usually a very closed and locked door. The ship didn't just open this door up.

Even Zidane spent the past few days trying to get him to open up for the Bhujerans, to no avail. He pushed the pack with the toe of his boot, blue eyes drifting towards the dark room. Zidane has seen his fair share of engine rooms, but Invincible's was unique. No Mist engine, but it looked like something he has seen a long time ago. He could never really place it. He felt a chill at his ankles as he stepped into the room. Looking down he noticed Mist accumulating. The liquid was starting to bubble. He looked around the corner and spotted what looked to be a giant rabbit. What surprise him though was not the intruder but what was surrounding them. He remembered this.

A chill ran up his spine recalled the malformed corruption of the Evil Forest. Flowers being turned into monsters, spirits of the damned ripped from rest. The furry appendage frizzed up and snapped into the air at the danger posed to the rabbit.

“Look out!” Zidane called before lunging forward in an attempt to tackle the Moogle and push away the mist.

Whether or not either action succeeded the Mist would react to being noticed and repel back into the engine. The lights in the room faded from a dull blue to a cavernous red. Zidane pushed up from his knees and looked about, panting a bit. Pressing his hand to the engine he rose to his feet. He noticed something moving in the liquid. Amorphous, faceless… Pressing his gloved hand to the glass as he looked to it.

“That's no way to be buddy. Don't worry, I'll fix ya up.” At least he'd try. “Hey!” He called to the Moogle. “You okay?” He canted his head a moment. “You Bhujeran?” Did one of them stowaway? The jagds weren't much known for their safety. If one of the engineers had snuck on that could be troublesome out here where beasts of peril rovr the mists.

Post by Mogrid on Aug 19, 2018 9:31:06 GMT -5

There was something unsettling and frankly creepy about this engine. Mogrid couldn't find any elements he recognised as parts of an airship engine. More like the parts to a pump of some kind, but it somehow only moved the fluid into this chamber or the one next to it. Although, thinking of it as a pump of some kind gave context to some of the sounds he could make out above the faint wailing and moaning he had come to expect of the sorts of ruins that he assumed the lighthouse had become.

Did that gasket sound thinner than it should? And a bit of a ringing against this joint here meant that the valve was probably putting out too much pressure...Probably putting a lot of stress on the junction, nevermind that the secondary system had clearly been designed with different equipment and looked much more intricate.

A chill crawled up his spine while he watched the primary tank contemplatively. He could probably manage a replacement part for a couple of these gaskets and joints, but the two systems clearly needed a way to change the pressure levels between them or it was just going to break down aga-AAAAIN!!

Out of NOWHERE the moogle found himself bowled over. He rolled pom over teakettle with a surprised "Kupo!" escaping him before turning it into a somersault that saw him facing toward his attacker in a defensive crouch several feet away, blade drawn into a ready stance. Thenn he remembered he was technically an intruder.

The cultured looking presumed owner of the ship asked a question, and since he was caught red-pawed, Mogrid had the decency to look abashed when he straightened up to answer, releasing his wrench and allowing it to return from wherever it was it went when he wasn't holding it. "Err. Yes I am. I heard some rumors about a ship flying through jagd, so I wanted to see how she stayed aloft. I...uh, think I can fix her pump thing here, kupo. Enough to stop it from wearing out as fast if I'm right."He hoped the offer of repair work and the good news would offset the discovery of a strange moogle in his engine roo-WAS THAT A TAIL?! HUME HAD TAILS?! WHY HAD NOBODY TOLD HIM!?

Post by Zidane Tribal on Sept 4, 2018 7:41:08 GMT -5

Zidane stumbled back,. the Moogle's reaction pretty unexpected, but in all fairness he had tackled the lad. The rogue fell back on his rump, hands settling beside him as he sighed. He was getting pretty worried about Invincible. He recognized it was a little silly to worry about a machine. Reagent Cid could get a bit nutty in that regard too, but Invincible wasn't just another ship. Sometimes when flying it he could swear he could hear whispers from the past. The way it effortlessly obeyed Kuja, Mikoto, or himself only further solidified the idea that it was alive in some way. He put his hand to his chest. The little guy seemed fine, which gladdened the rogue. No way did he want Invincible to be responsible for something like that. But maybe he was making assumptions. Maybe he was looking for help?

Rolling back he pushed his hands back behind his head to the ground of the ship before kicking to his feet, landing in a crouch. He stayed eye to eye with the moogle, that long, sand-colored tail curled at his side, the limb just centimeters off the round. His arms were pulled over his knees like the delinquent he was, an expression of bewilderment painted on his face. Rumors, huh? That's to be expected. Ivalice had only so many ships capable of flight,. let alone wandering such dangerous landscapes. Finally raising to his feet the tailed thief rest his hands on his hips as his gaze turned to what he felt was Invincible's heart. Cid told him that it was the most important part to maintain and realizing he did next to nothing to take care of it... God he could feel Mikoto just scolding him now.

A gloved hand had come up to rub the back of his neck before he blinked his gem-blue eyes. "Oh!" He looked to the Moogle once his brain caught up to his senses. "You can?!" He seemed filled with joy at this prospect, a wide and telling grin drawing out from ear to ear.

The speedy trickster moved to try and hop over his rabbit eared visitor and would land behind, or beside, sliding a bit against the sleek, metal floor. As he slid he would reach out to grab an extended pipe before hoisting himself up with the skill and ease of an acrobat. He motioned his gloved hand, pointing at what looked to be a series of buttons connected to the range of systems found along the ship's heart. The tail in question reached down to give the Moogle a leg up.

"I'd really appreciate you helping out. It's not been doing well..." While Zidane referred to it with a generic pronoun by the way he spoke it was clear the boy considered it a living piece of machine, but such a sentiment could be said about many engineers, of which the boy clearly was not. "I got him from my... brother." He frowned slightly, a hand gently caressing the warm metal. "It used to be a war machine, but honestly it just wants to explore..." Yeah, fighting these days just good, right?

As if responding to the Genome's touches the ship light up and though the "heartbeat" had not increased the room was now lit up with a number of holographic view screens filled with the strange lettering from before. The thief laughed out.

"Seems it's excited about it, so, ya think you can help out -- uh..." He realized he didn't know the mechanic's name. "Oh, my name's Zidane! This is Invincible." He'd offer and patted the machine to confirm just who it was he met.

Post by Mogrid on Sept 8, 2018 4:45:01 GMT -5

Mogrid canted an ear and positioned himself during the...pilot? Owner? Owner, he'd go with owner. during the owner's movements so that the hume (?) was never behind him. He relaxed his posture once it became clear a tussle was no longer imminent, and listened patiently to the explanation of how he'd inherited the ship from a sibling. Mogrid understood that process all too well sometimes, having obtained several tools from his own siblings' no longer being able to use them. The backpack that had transported his tools and workshop supplies among them, actually.

"He noticed that this person referred to the ship as a 'he'. That was unusual, though somehow Mogrid didn't feel 'she' was quite appropriate either. When Zidane offered him a boost up, Mogrid huffed and dismissed his weapon, then just flew the short distance. His indignation lasted about nine seconds though, since after that time the tailed hume activated the displays. He couldn't understand the text, but there were plenty of gauges and diagrams that offered the moogle even greater insight into the inner workings of this behemoth.

'Invincible', Zidane introduced them as. Mogrid nodded and pulled a loupe from a pouch in his apron. "Invincible? I'd believe it, from what I've seen, kupo. Looks like they need a bit of work though, not just in the pump here. These diagrams here look like some kind of Archadian magitech, but I know a little about how those airships fly and it doesn't line up quite the same without skystones. Did your brother show you if there were any supply bays?" the moogle said, reviewing a particularly intricate snarl in one schematic. "Most ships this large have spare equipment to help make repairs in the field. Oh, and my name is Mogrid, kupo. Engineer for hire, since you need one."

He straightened himself up to look at another of the lit panels, trying to make sense of the language being used but he hadn't ever seen the characters before, much less the words. Almost absently he offered a paw to the onetime bandit.

Post by Zidane Tribal on Sept 8, 2018 10:56:13 GMT -5

Zidane chuckled as the little guy didn't seem to appreciate his offer for a lift! He couldn't help but grin as the moogle took to the air, always forgetting these Bhujeran ones were pretty capable in the air despite their size being greater than that of Gaian Moogles. The engineer seemed impressed by Invincible's specs, not that the rouge could fathom hide nor hair of them. While able to read the Terran lettering he was far less capable than Cinna in deciphering the more complex twists and bowls of what made an engine tick. Heck someone like Cid could have reproductions of Invincible out in a heartbeat. But that wasn't something Zidane wanted. Something like Invincible should never be created again. He would normally be wary of showing it off to outsiders, the sum of its parts summarily designed for war.

And as an engineer it was likely not difficult to see that. The propulsion systems, its weapons systems and its maneuverability... everything about this ship was designed for destruction and yet such a peaceable boy piloted it. At the question of anything spare the rogue looked up, before leaning back to look down. His hand pushed against the engine before he leapt back, landing on his feet with ease. Turning heel he would try to peer over some storage containers near by.

"I think there's something like that here. Mikoto said they were, something --" Sometimes he could barely understand some of the things she said concerning Terra but this was something he didn't want to understand. "Not here..." he gripped the edge of the container which only seemed to have stores of fluid, similar to the one that filled the chamber. "Yeah... down below us." He looked over towards a hatch which opened without his consent.

Zidane swallowed a bit. He remembered the last time he went down there. The voices... The rogue looked to the moogle. "Oh um, yeah here!" He walked over to the hatch and ducked.

The passage led to a chamber just under the engine where all of its components and operation systems lay. It was tall enough for the moogle but Zidane found himself having to crouch. Entering in first he found himself practically on his knees. How the hell did Kuja come down here as tall as he was?! Though thinking on it he really doubted Kuja had cared much about Invincible to even think about fixing him. But what if the ship couldn't be fixed? What if it needed something more than a few good screws? Sure it was a really advanced airship, but it was still an airship right? A screen popped up right in front of the thief's face, causing him to fall backwards, flat on his back. He laid there a moment, just staring up at the ceiling of the low passage.

"It says something about eroded ...covering, or something." Right, pipes wore down sometimes and boy did Invincible's underbelly have a lot of those. Pipes for miles, looking akin to a pasta dinner the Qu made once. He looked over and pressed a finger to the screen, a map appearing with a few markers showing points of the schematic where the more wear was. "What's that?" He pointed to the larger marker, a pipe which carried the corrosive fluid that filled the belly of the engine....

The rouge was never patient when it came to things like this. He didn't understand it and like the petulant child he was wont to be he preferred not to learn. Rolling over her got on his hands and knees to better fit in the passage. He could feel the chilling sensations here. They were heaviest down in this passages. It was like a haunted manor. He knows all too well what dwelled in these walls, what gave Invincible life... He squeezed his eyes closed trying not to think on it. He was family too. He would do his best to -- fix it. Or at least hope the Moogle could.

Post by Mogrid on Nov 19, 2018 17:22:34 GMT -5

Mogrid himself had no idea the fuel on which the airship ran. He knew nothing of the horrors it had wrought, or the nightmares it had induced. He knew the ship was sick, and apparently had enough of a mind of its own that its pilot wasn't actually fully in control. The diagrams and warnings that were being presented weren't in a language that Mogrid had ever seen before, but they drew his attention clearly to areas that were probably in need of attention.

"A corroded covering? We need to replace that right away, kupo. And that looks like a pipe carrying something deeper into the ship. If she were a steam-engine I'd say it was a coolant pipe, but I don't think she runs on steam." he adds, scratching his head through the bandana, though this only really managed to transfer some of the grease from his gloves to the head covering. "I don't know what she runs on, actually, but aside from replacing pipes and a few other things I don't think there's much to do to fix her. Might be a blockage somewhere that's causing the big symptoms though."

"Well then, let's get to work, kupo." he said, following Zidane into the bowels of the ship. It was barely uncomfortable for him, and if he hadn't been wearing his toolbelt he likely could have just strolled through the maintenance tunnel. Perhaps that was why most of the larger races considered moogle mechanics superior, they could just plain get into areas a hume couldn't, never mind a Bangaa. Even among engineers though, Mogrid was out to prove he was tuned more finely the rest.

Post by Zidane Tribal on Jan 10, 2019 16:51:31 GMT -5

Invisible was a powerful ship, one of the last generational warships produced by Terra for the sole purpose of subduing the terrestrial Eidolons of Gaia. It had met with the strain of ear not only against Gaia's formidable war machines and eikons, but as well the infighting between its creator and pilots. In the end it had broke free of the very bonds imposed on it by generations of hatred and suffering. With a new purpose instilled into it by the spirit and fervor of the young Angel of Death the ship stole away to his side as soon as one could. But it was not Zidane's will to defy Garland, but Mikoto's pleas of compassion which spurred the new light inside of it.

As a result, though, it seemed there was a great deal of strain put on to the ship whose own lifespan was limited by its usefulness. Once Gaia was assimilated there would be no need for the ship any longer. It was not made to travel across worlds for as long as it has been so many parts were deteriorating and becoming worn. There were patch-ups here and there thanks to Regant Cid's efforts, but Gaia did not have the technology that Terra once hailed.

"I don't know how Invincible runs, it has a constant energy." Though not perpetual. It had to have rests and regular maintenance. "I'd appreciate if you could look at them. We've been trying to get home but something here called to him. What is this place?" Zidane asked of the Moogle.

The rogue himself had been to various parts of Ivalice and to him it was a second home. He fit in well, better than most other worlds.

The pipes lead all around the ship, some vanishing into rooms and other parts that did not seem to have any housing for energy or wire boxes. It was alone to a path dug in a rabbit's warren or a rslat's nest. Aside from the covering being corroded there seemed the vat in the belly of the main room. It had a dim glow and seemed to be nearly still. If the Moogle's ears were as good as his otherworldly kin he could perhaps hear the hum of voices reaching for him...

The covering would be easy to repair. The metals were similar to Ivalician metals and the structure was easy enough to mold.